What Is The Axiom Verge Randomizer?

If you’ve never played a Randomizer before, the basic concept is to randomize some major gameplay aspects of a classic video game to enhance replayability and provide a new challenge for players who have already beaten, 100%, or even speedrun the base game.

Randomizers make particularly exciting things to speedrun, livestream, or race due to the unpredictability. I’ve streamed the Link to the Past Randomizer in the past and I’ll be streaming the Axiom randomizer tuesday!

In the case of Pozzum’s randomizer, it’s the item locations that are currently randomized. As a Metroidvania with multiple movement-based upgrades, that means how you get about the existing map can change drastically based on which items you get early (or late!). You can also randomize the enemies, if you enjoy death.

According to Pozzum, the project is briefly on hold while they build a new PC, but it’s still being worked on. Check the Releases page on Github to see the latest changes, and report issues so Pozzum can address them.

What It Does

Basic features of the current version (0.6.1.1):

Creates a separate randomAV.exe file to play without breaking the base game

Randomizes all item locations

Items, especially early on, are placed somewhat to keep the game possible

About 25% of seeds currently are impossible to complete however

Option to remove temporary one-way segments in Zi and Ukkin Na from the base game

This reduces the potential of impossible-to-escape situations

(Base game fun fact: the 1 way Zi fall isn’t actually one0way; if you savewarp you can return, a common speedrun strategy)

Option to randomize enemies too

This could get painful fast

Option to generate a list of spoilers for hints/etc

Optional Practice mode which gives all weapons/upgrades in early rooms to allow you to try out odd combinations to get used to gear you wouldn’t normally use early game

Note the program generates an alternate executable file for AV rather than altering your “clean” copy directly. Your “clean” game and randomizer share save files though, so be careful with them. You can copy and paste your save folder if you need more save slots or want to protect your pre-randomization saves.

If you don’t have Axiom Verge on PC, it’s actually free on Epic Games Store from now until Feb 21st 2019, so grab it quick! As said above, it won’t work yet, but you should be able to get it soon. Use that time to practice the base game.

Step by Step Install

Install Axiom Verge from Steam

Download the randomizer

Extract the randomizer somewhere you can find it (desktop etc)

Run AxiomRandomizer.exe

Let it move it’s files to Appdata when it asks (avoids permissions issues)

The app will ask for your Axiom Verge installation file, you can find it by right clicking Axiom Verge’s entry in Steam, going to properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files… then selecting Axiomverge.exe

Now you’ll get the Randomizer’s main UI and can make a seed!

The first time you run it, you’ll have to manually run “randomAV.exe” within the Axiom Verge folder (find it via step 6) to get it to run, the run button in the randomizer won’t work the first time because of security stuff.